The Downside of House Flipping

In our business of originating hard money fix and flip financing on renovation projects, we frequently see some ugly houses that are either outdated or have been neglected for many years. However, it’s not often that we see some really, really bad cases in house flipping where the former homeowner lived for many years in a house infested with black mold and rats living in plain sight.

Recently we had a loan scenario in Oregon come to us where the former homeowner had been incapable of maintaining the home for many years and the living situation got out of control. It was actually pretty heart wrenching to see that someone lived in those conditions for so long and that they weren’t able to get help repairing the home from neighbors, family members, or charitable organizations.

I don’t know if it was due to finances, shame, diminished mental capacity, or something else that leads to a home in a very nice neighborhood falling into such disrepair. But it was pretty hard to watch the video that the Realtor took and think about someone living in the house for so many years with black mold in several rooms in the house and evidence of a growing rat population occupying the home.

My hope is that the former homeowner was able to get a fresh start in a clean and sanitary home or hopefully in a care facility. I couldn’t imagine living in those conditions for so many years and the impact that it could have had on the former owner’s health.

To remedy all the black mold, rodent infestation, water damage throughout the house, take back the yard from 10 foot tall blackberry bushes, and fully update the interior of the home to move-in ready for a buyer on a street of $450,000 homes, this project will take about a $60,000 to $70,000 investment by the potential flipper. It’s not an easy job and it should take 2-3 months to complete the project. But in the end, it will be worth the investment to see this home restored to its former model home image.